The invoice came in higher than the quote, with a note that the shipment was reweighed or reclassified. This is among the most common billing disputes in LTL. A correction is not automatically right because the carrier issued it, and it is not automatically wrong either. What decides it is documentation.
What a reweigh and a reclass are
- Reweigh: the carrier weighed the freight and found a weight different from the one on the bill of lading, then billed on its number.
- Reclass: dock personnel inspected the freight and decided the class on the bill of lading does not match the commodity or its density, then billed at the class they believe is correct.
Either one can also come with its own fee. A reweigh fee is sometimes charged whether or not the reweigh changes the billed weight, and a reclassification fee works the same way.
First, rule out a weight break
A billed weight higher than your declared weight is not always a reweigh. If a 480 lb shipment was rated as 500 lbs, that may be the weight-break rule producing a lower charge. See LTL weight breaks explained before you open a dispute.
Why corrections can be wrong
Dock inspections are done quickly, sometimes on freight that has shifted or been compressed in transit. Errors happen in both directions. A pallet measured at its widest shifted point, or weighed with another shipper's freight nearby, produces a number that does not match what left your dock.
How to dispute one
- Request the carrier's inspection documentation. Many carriers can provide a weight certificate or an inspection photo supporting the correction.
- Compare it with your own records: the bill of lading weight, any scale weight taken at loading, the finished pallet dimensions, and photos from pickup.
- If your records conflict with the carrier's, file a formal dispute in writing. Cite specific figures. "Our certified scale ticket shows 612 lbs; the inspection shows 780 lbs" gets a response. "We disagree with this charge" does not.
- For a reclass, cite the NMFC item. State the item number you shipped under and, for a density-based item, show the density math from your measured dimensions and weight. See how to calculate freight density.
- Track the outcome. Record the result by carrier. A carrier with a consistently high rate of overturned corrections is a conversation to have at renewal.
The free invoice dispute guide covers the written dispute itself.
The evidence that wins
The shippers who overturn corrections are rarely the ones with the cleverest argument. They are the ones who had their own weight and photo documentation ready before opening the case. A certified scale ticket beats a recollection every time.
In practice that means three habits at the shipping dock:
- Weigh the finished pallet on a scale and keep the ticket.
- Measure the finished pallet at its outermost points, pallet included.
- Photograph it, with the label visible, before the driver loads it.
When the carrier is right
Sometimes the comparison shows the bill of lading was wrong: the weight was estimated, the dimensions left out the pallet, or the wrong NMFC item was used. Pay the correction and fix the cause. A correction you agree with is cheap information about a process that will keep costing you until it changes.
Preventing the next one
- Measured, not estimated, weights and dimensions on every bill of lading.
- The correct NMFC item number and an accurate commodity description. See what is freight class.
- No overhang and a tight, stable pallet, so the as-shipped dimensions match what you declared. See how to palletize LTL freight.
- A written record of how each product is classified, so every person who books a shipment uses the same item and class.